Thoughts on Okongwu?

[Spud2nique]

Okongwu has always been there without playing time. That was the only problem. If he was on the the Knicks he would be vying for rookie of the year right now. 
 

Just look at his production based on his minutes. I’m not a stat guy but he might be the most efficient dude in our entire squad, him and Capela.

[benhillboy]

We’ll get a much better sense after he has a normal offseason obviously.  Small sample but for what it’s worth his per 36 blows Pascal Siakam’s out the water in terms of field goal %, offensive boards, steals and blocks.  I have a lot of patience with his development with Nate at the helm.   He helped Myles Turner become an elite defensive anchor (?) and Sabonis a Swiss knife (I know this)  

I didn’t mean to bite your thought @Spud2nique we had it at the same damn time!

Edited March 3, 2021 by benhillboy

[Spud2nique]

6 minutes ago, benhillboy said:

We’ll get a much better sense after he has a normal offseason obviously.  Small sample but for what it’s worth his per 36 blows Pascal Siakam’s out the water in terms of field goal %, offensive boards, steals and blocks.  I have a lot of patience with his development with Nate at the helm.

I didn’t mean to bite your thought @Spud2nique we had it at the same damn time!

Hey now worries brother, mediocre minds eh? And listen, if we make the playoffs I may just give you a decent avatar . 
 

Ya efficient and other worldly continent strong . I was never worried about Okongwu, even his confidence, I think I was just upset that even as a rook, he wasn’t getting his due playing time specially with all our injuries (though most weren’t at the PF and C spots to be fair but still). He fights, that’s what I saw at USC and that’s why he was my number #1 guy in last year’s draft. 
 

He’s a keeper and so is Hunter for me. I love those 2 dudes.

[JayBirdHawk]

1 hour ago, macdaddy said:

I've really liked what i've seen from him.  Dude is strong.   He's that guy that you think isn't going to be strong but then lifts more than guys a lot bigger. 

He said he's not in shape  from the long college layoff, the injury, the inability to get to the practice court due to COVID - he'll be fine. I keep saying, Trae spoiled a lot of fans with his quick success in his rookie season, so the expectation is - all our lottery picks should be the same: Hunter, Reddish, OO.  Each will develop at their own pace - give them time.

[Peoriabird]

13 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

He said he's not in shape  from the long college layoff, the injury, the inability to get to the practice court due to COVID - he'll be fine. I keep saying, Trae spoiled a lot of fans with his quick success in his rookie season, so the expectation is - all our lottery picks should be the same: Hunter, Reddish, OO.  Each will develop at their own pace - give them time.

Didn't it take Trae longer than 15 games to find his footing?

[JayBirdHawk]

1 hour ago, Peoriabird said:

Didn't it take Trae longer than 15 games to find his footing?

Trae's immediate struggle was his shooting, particularly from 3 with the long bombs. The rest of his game in running the offense, his passing and his assist numbers were good and he impacted the game on that front immediately.

[Spud2nique]

He needs to get the start tonight with Capela out. He’s 50X better than Bruno or anyone else on our roster as a big.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

19 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

He needs to get the start tonight with Capela out. He’s 50X better than Bruno or anyone else on our roster as a big.

You'll see tonight.

Both should play.

[bleachkit]

Great win tonight but terrible game from OO. Two turnovers, zero points. Several fumbled passes. He is not the player he was at USC.

[macdaddy]

14 hours ago, bleachkit said:

Great win tonight but terrible game from OO. Two turnovers, zero points. Several fumbled passes. He is not the player he was at USC.

I've been concerned but he still looks like he belongs to me.   He's going to struggle with zero practice time but I prefer seeing him in the game over Bruno.

[JayBirdHawk]

11 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

I've been concerned but he still looks like he belongs to me.   He's going to struggle with zero practice time but I prefer seeing him in the game over Bruno.

He said he's not in shape, you can see it, particularly with timing and the game moving fast. I think he'll be fine.

[bleachkit]

57 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

He said he's not in shape, you can see it, particularly with timing and the game moving fast. I think he'll be fine.

What is "fine"? They aren't going to cut their sixth overall pick. 

[JeffS17]

8 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

What is "fine"? They aren't going to cut their sixth overall pick. 

I think we won't have a good idea of OO until next year, unfortunately.  That first offseason is invaluable for rooks, especially at PF/C, to help transition to the NBA and get used to the speed and pace.  The guy has some decent instincts but he's not going to look natural or good until he gets consistent backup minutes.  Right now we have so many mouths to feed that it's a struggle getting him in there for any good stretch.  I'm hopeful Nate and a renewed staff he brings in can work with him to become a solid starter for us

[RedDawg#8]

I would have liked for him to go to the G league and get some burn. We are not in player development mode anymore, so he wont get bulk minutes just because.

I like pieces of what I see from him. He is not a ready made contributor, so if that freaks you out then, sorry. But overall he is athletic, looks to have decent touch. Has a confident game and doesn't seem to play scared.

[JayBirdHawk]

53 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

What is "fine"? They aren't going to cut their sixth overall pick. 

Im not sure why you mention cutting him.

He needs to get in shape, have real practice, a real offseason etc..to determine exactly what he is.

[bleachkit]

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Im not sure why you mention cutting him.

He needs to get in shape, have real practice, a real offseason etc..to determine exactly what he is.

Looking like the next Shelden Williams so far. 

[JayBirdHawk]

3 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

Looking like the next Shelden Williams so far. 

I have no idea what OO will be after 15 NBA games but that's wierd comparison -  Shelden Williams was a 4 year college player coming into the NBA, OO didn't even play 1 full college season.

[JeffS17]

40 minutes ago, RedDawg#8 said:

I would have liked for him to go to the G league and get some burn. We are not in player development mode anymore, so he wont get bulk minutes just because.

I like pieces of what I see from him. He is not a ready made contributor, so if that freaks you out then, sorry. But overall he is athletic, looks to have decent touch. Has a confident game and doesn't seem to play scared.

100%, I wish the G-league wasn't seen as a demotion or something for lottery picks.  He could use the game time and feedback and confidence that comes with playing more and getting comfortable.  I still think he's a good pick and will blossom into a great player -- he seems to have the work ethic and attitude which imo is like 80% of it.

[bleachkit]

6 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I have no idea what OO will be after 15 NBA games but that's wierd comparison -  Shelden Williams was a 4 year college player coming into the NBA, OO didn't even play 1 full college season.

Yes, but data shows that rookie year performance is a better indicator of future success than age, or college experience.

[ATLHawks3]

1 minute ago, bleachkit said:

Yes, but data shows that rookie year performance is a better indicator of future success than age, or college experience.

C.J. McCollum says hello.